The Great Cake Heist of 2022
by AquilaMage
Summary: When Maya discovers a new bakery advertising a wedding cake sampling event, she recruits Kay for the cause of mischief and free food. Considering how well they get along, she assumes pretending to be engaged for a few hours will come easily to them. …Perhaps even a bit too easily, as it turns out.


Kay swung one leg as she watched down the street from her perch. The noonday sun had nicely warmed the brick of the wall, making the wait easier to bear, what with the occasional mid-spring breezes coming through. It was beginning to border on late, but she was relaxed as ever.

It was just as she had gotten distracted enough to start cooing at a bird that had landed a few feet from her that someone called out her name.

Ignoring the stares of passerby, Kay leaped down onto the sidewalk (with only the _slightest_ flourish), to be almost immediately barreled into and caught up in a hug.

"Kay!" Loosening her grip enough to tilt her head up, Maya beamed at her. "It's been way too long."

She pouted. "Says the one who spent the last two months in a remote village that has no service and one phone."

Maya scoffed, shoving her away and crossing her arms. "_Says the one_ who's out of the_ country_ like a third of the time."

"Well, I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Yeah…" Despite herself, she couldn't help but smile a bit. "Now come on!" Taking her arm, she started dragging her off. "We've got things to talk about."

She only dropped her grip when Kay started giggling as they entered a nearby restaurant. "What?"

Kay only smirked, raising her eyebrows.

"Look, I have been back for a _day_," she said as she made her way to the counter without bothering to check she was being followed. "and it is impossible to get a decent burger in Kurain. On top of everything else I've been dealing with, I definitely deserve to get something good for myself."

"Things still not going so well?"

A tiny smile. "Actually…" She clasped her hands together in front of herself. "Things are finally coming together! They've only just put the council system in place, and I'm probably going to have to be there to "supervise" so they can feel comfortable doing it, but…" Maya took a deep breath. "If everything works out, it'll probably be five months, tops, before I can leave for good."

Kay let out a shriek before remembering where she was and slapping her hands over her mouth. Bouncing up and down, she pulled Maya into a hug. "That's amazing! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks. Oh, it's our turn to order."

When they stepped away from the counter, Kay threw her arm over her shoulder. "Seriously, that's awesome. And now that you have an actual end in sight," she said, recalling a number of conversations they had had over the years, "that means we can actually talk about plans for after without it being too sad. _Right_?"

She wrapped her arms around herself, head resting on one shoulder. "Yeah. But that's going to be a whole big thing, so save that for later." Maya poked her in the side. "How about you? What've you been up to without me to entertain you?

"Eh, not too much. School, mostly, since I got back from the last trip, and the investigation was actually pretty normal this time." Kay played with her scarf. Then she paused, the beginnings of a grin forming. "Oh. Want to see the candids of Mr. Edgeworth I took on my last trip?"

She turned to look almost immediately. "_Yes_."

Pulling up the album on her phone, she handed it over before heading over to the counter to pick up their food. "There's only a couple from this time, but they're still pretty good. Haven't had time to put them in the Edgeworth album so they're still in with the other stuff from that trip, but help yourself."

By the time Kay got over with their trays, Maya was sprawled out over her side of the table, the occasional giggle coming out as she clutched the phone. She only responded once nudged with the edge of her tray, drawing herself up and pulling the food towards her. Through her first mouthful, she held up the phone and asked, "What _is_ he doing in this one?"

"Oh yeah." Kay had to take a second to compose herself before answering. "He had gotten the in-flight internet to watch that stream Global Studios had announced, and he was getting _so_ upset about the fact that they were just talking about remastering the original Steel Samurai when they had hyped it up like there was actually going to be something new. So I took some pictures of him from across the aisle."

"_Nice_." She remembered being disappointed that she was going to be in Kurain at the time, and had pestered Nick until he promised to check what it was about for her. When she'd read his letter about it she'd been pretty disappointed too.

There were a few moments of quiet where they both sat eating. Then, Maya practically choked on her drink. Coughing, she turned the phone so they both could see it. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Uh huh! My pride and joy." She took a triumphant bite of one of her fries. "We were going to have breakfast together but I got up a bit later and saw him already down there. So I did what any reasonable person would and hid behind one of the plants with the zoom on. His fault, really, for eating something he'd have to take big bites into and potentially get bits of on his face." The smile faded as she winced and continued. "I _did_, however, forget that I had the sound left on. So…"

Reaching over, she slid through the next few photos. Miles Edgeworth, seated at a table, looking rather outraged and only starting to turn in the camera's direction. One of him standing up, closer but slightly out of focus and obscured by leaves. And then a series of very blurry pictures of a red figure, clearly taken over her shoulder in selfie mode.

"Fortunately, I managed to lock my phone before he caught up to me, but I did spend the rest of the morning in my room until he cooled down. Had to get Sebastian to sneak me food and everything." She sighed fondly.

"It sounds like you guys have a lot of fun." There was a wistful tone of jealousy in her voice as she began to pick at her food.

"You could come next time, if you want."

Maya puffed out her cheeks, frowning as she dropped her chin in her hands. "I don't see how much help I'd be," she muttered. "I'm not a lawyer or a detective or anything _useful_."

The chord of resignation pained Kay to hear, and she rushed to reassure her. "Neither am I right now. But you can keep me company while we help investigate!"

"I guess." She was tracing patterns on the table with the rings of water from their glasses.

Kay made a mental note to bother Franziska to ask Maya to help next time she was in the country with something as well. "Oh come on. I like everyone else, but no one really gets me or goes along with _all_ of my ideas like you do. You could help breathe life into everything _and_ help me escape from paperwork."

Maya laughed. After a moment, she pulled herself back into sitting up. A much happier, if still in the neutral territory, expression was on her face as she dug back into her meal. "Speaking of, I should really tell you about the main reason I called you here."

"What, you mean it wasn't to see my beautiful face and get to catch up?"

"Why I asked if you were available _today_, I mean." She held up a hand. "Because I have a mission, and you're the perfect person for it."

Kay practically shoved her food aside, leaning over the table so half her torso was on it, head propped up on her steepled fingers. "Oh?" She arched an eyebrow. "What are you proposing?"

Maya choked on her burger. She finished coughing in time to look up at Kay's puzzled expression, sending herself into another fit of coughs with how hard she was laughing. "It's funny you should say that," she wheezed. Her eyes lit up as she retrieved a paper from her bag and slid it across the table. "I was waiting at the train station when this caught my eye, like it was calling out to _me_. And then I thought, well…" She clasped her hands together, bouncing a little in her seat as she watched expectantly.

"You want me to pretend to be your fiancée so you can get free wedding cake samples." Her voice was neutral as she looked up, face almost expressionless. The stare she gave stretched on just long enough that Maya was starting to get nervous before she broke out into a huge grin. "I _love_ it. What's the plan?"

She breathed a sigh of relief. Realistically, she had known going into this that Kay would likely agree to her plan, but despite the progress she had made, having just returned from Kurain put her in that mindset of expecting to struggle to have her ideas be heard, and this enthusiastic response was a genuine surprise. Blinking, she noticed that tears had started to form without even noticing, and she shook her head before gesturing at the flyer. "So, it's tomorrow afternoon at their main bakery location. There's a park like a block from there, so I was thinking we meet there so we can pretend we came together. Sound good?"

Kay nodded. Really, she was down with whatever Maya had in mind. Not that she didn't want to be involved, but right now Kay was more invested it because she knew Maya really wanted this and seeing her smile made her happy. And besides, it _did_ seem like it would be fun. "Get there a few minutes before it starts so by the time we're ready we'll still have maximum cake time?"

Deciding to try something, Maya winked at her. "See, this is exactly why we're engaged. You're far too good to me," she said, placing a hand over her heart.

Blowing an exaggerated kiss, she rolled her eyes. "And here I thought you loved me for my dashing good looks and stunning personality."

They stared at each other for only a moment before they both burst out into laughter.

"This is fun. I was worried it'd get weird." Maya pushed her bangs back. "It's not, right? Just, obviously we're going to have to be convincingly enough of a couple that no one's going to question us, so, you know." She rubbed the back of her neck as she talked, busying herself with finishing the remnants of her meal as soon as she stopped. Seeing that she had played along quite enthusiastically, it _seemed_ fine, but Maya also didn't want to push. Not that, now that she thought about it, she even knew why the idea of being fake-flirty like this created a twinge of anxiety in the first place.

"It's not weird. And I'm pretty sure we're already decently convincing; good romantic relationships are usually built on being friends anyway." A pause as she tapped her fingers on the table. "That and communication. Point is, apart from leaning into being more verbally and physically affectionate, we shouldn't need to worry about much."

The casual sincerity of the first sentence alone had relaxed her, enough so that she was now reaching over to steal a handful of fries from the other tray. "Cool. Although, speaking of, there are a few things we should get straight," she said, and then immediately snorted.

"Oh, _that_ will be a problem." Kay laughed helplessly. "Pretty sure the whole idea here's to act gayer than usual, not less."

"Yeah, that was pretty unfortunate wording." She reached over for another fry, only to smack her hand against the basket when Kay tried to slide it over to her. "Anyway, communication. What we most need, in order to pull this off, is an airtight understanding of the fiction of our dating history. Otherwise we'll end up giving completely different answers to a question, and _that_ could be real bad."

Kay snapped her fingers. "_Oooh_ that's a good point." Sliding over so she could lean into the corner where the booth met the wall, she propped her head up with one arm and watched Maya finishing off her food. "Go back and forth with what would be the most likely topics and then go from there?"

A nod. "How long have we been together?"

"Two years. First meeting?"

Maya contemplated the ice cubes at the bottom of her glass for a moment before answering, "Go with the truth, probably. It'll be much easier for us to remember that way. But for things we have to make up… what about how we actually started dating?"

"You asked me out when I got back from my second trip away after we met. I gave you this scarf I had found in a shop and you started crying and told me you loved me." Her expression softened. "It was really cute."

Crossing her arms, she tossed her head. "Really. Making decisions about my feelings for me." She puffed out a breath that blew her bangs out of place. "Then I'm going to say that you had planned this really elaborate proposal for after we finished an investigation that I was helping out with." Hands on her hips, she grinned widely. "Except then _I_ got arrested for it, and then the accomplice to the actual murderer kidnapped me out of jail and made it look like I broke out so I would seem guilty, and someone tried to impersonate the judge…and a couple of near-explosions later you tackled me as soon as I was released and asked me then and there."

Kay made a face. "What does it say that that still sounds like an actual case one of us could have worked with?"

"That we get into a lot of weird stuff." She shrugged. Then, a thought occurred to her. "Shit, are we going to need a ring?" What was she saying, they were pretending to be engaged, it was only the entire marker of that being a thing, _of course_ they did.

"Uhhh, maybe? I mean, lesbians." She waved a hand between the two of them. "If we say we're not going with whatever traditional engagement wedding type stuff, we can pretty much get away with it. But…if you do want to go with that, I might have a solution." Shifting back to sit directly across from Maya, she held her hands out in front of Maya's, "we can use one of those. Can I have your hand?"

A skeptical glance, but Maya brought her left hand over and between where Kay's were hovering. "Yeah?"

Her attention was already focused looking down as she gently turned her wrist so her palm was facing up. "I want to see what your fingers are in comparison to mine so I can use them as a sizing reference."

Maya watched her with half-lidded eyes and a smile playing across her face, completely relaxed. Despite the fact that Kay was just as high-energy as her, possibly a little more, and the two of them often fed off one another, being around her relaxed Maya in a way that no one else really did. Something about the way she made an effort to understand her, she thought. She was struck with a feeling of intense gratitude that Kay had turned out to be available and willing to go through with this plan, because the more she thought about it, the more she was certain she felt more comfortable in the idea of going with her than anyone else she might have tried to ask.

"Ok so it looks like your hands are a little bigger than mine, so I'll keep that in mind." Kay had taken hold of her wrist and was flopping Maya's hand up and down. "But what do you think we should say about other wedding plan stuff?"

Oh right. That was a whole big thing by itself, and she'd prefer not to have to become an expert in the process just to pull this whole thing off. "Well, we could say that we're not planning on making it into a big thing, especially since we don't have much of a family to deal with." She tapped her chin. "Probably getting married in the courthouse, since everything else in our lives seems to happen there anyway."

"You know, I never thought about it that much, but we really _wouldn't_ have that many people; not that I'm counting, but like, 25, max."

Something in Maya wanted to comment about the fact that Kay needed to specify that she had never thought about a hypothetical wedding between the two of them "that much," but she couldn't come up with the words. Besides, she knew Kay didn't mean it like _that_, anyway.

She smacked a hand on the table. "Ooh, then can we say that we're having the reception at Mr. Edgeworth's house after?"

Maya thought for a moment. "Is it because he has the big fancy house I always figured he did?"

"_Maybe_. I've only been there once to watch his dog, but it's got a really nice yard."

They both jumped when a phone started to go off. After a moment's scrambling, Maya held hers up to her ear.

"Trucy! What are you- oh?" She turned in her seat to check the clock on the wall. "Oh, wow, guess I lost track of time. No, it's fine, I can be there in a few minutes. Okay, bye!" Hanging up, she gave Kay a sheepish look. "I _might_ have promised Nick I'd walk Trucy back from school."

She waved it away. "That's fine. Text me when you two get home then. And I'll let you know if I think of anything else." She held out her arms, tilting her head in search of permission before wrapping her in a hug.

Maya rested her head against Kay's collarbone, soaking up as much of the warm comfort that her presence gave to save up until the next time. Safe and secure. "Yup! See you tomorrow."

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They managed to arrive at practically the same time. Spotting Maya, Kay waved her arms over her head before bounding across a patch of grass and over a bush, skidding to a halt just before they would have collided. "Who's ready to steal some free desserts?"

"I am!" Maya pumped her fist up into the air.

"That's the spirit!" She struck a pose, hands on her hips. "We should get into character."

Faking a gasp, she put a hand on Kay's arm. "What, you mean pretend you aren't my lovely fiancée? I don't know if I could handle that, sweetie."

"Sweetie?" Kay scrunched her nose up.

Maya put a hand to her chin. "No? Hm…" Stretching up, she leaned in. "Babe?"

A shiver ran through her. The breath of air against her neck and the low whisper with which the last word had been delivered made her suddenly and intensely aware of how close Maya was to her. And it wasn't uncomfortable, not anything bad, but certainly and suddenly a very different feeling than she could remember ever having before. "That works," she said, and Maya pulled away, taking the sensation with her before Kay could get any kind of real grip on it.

Giggling, Maya repeated the word, stretching it out. "Babe. I mean, it works for a fiancée, but since this is faked anyway I kind of want to use terms that I've made up on the spot too. You know, have some fun with it."

"We can improvise. Oh, right!" Kay reached behind her neck to unclasp the chain around her neck, currently just visible due to the first few buttons of her dress shirt being undone. She slid the ring off, holding it out in the palm of her hand. It was a simple gold band with a pattern of swirls engraved around it. "So you remember what I said about getting a ring, right?"

Maya's blood ran cold for a second. "You…you didn't…?"

She paused, frowning, then groaned, tossing her head back. "Really? Of all people? You _know_ I'm not that kind of thief, _geez_. It's my dad's. Was with the rest of his stuff that I have."

"Oh. Are you sure you're okay with using it, though?" Maya trusted Kay, but if their positions were reversed, she wasn't sure she'd be comfortable letting her borrow something of Mia's.

Kay's eyes softened. "Yeah. I mean, it's not like it was getting used. Besides," she grinned, playing with the collar of her shirt. "He would definitely want me to use it for this sort of thing. He'd think it was hilarious." Taking Maya's hand, she slid the ring onto her finger. "There. Feel comfortable?"

She held her hand up to inspect it. She rarely wore much in the way of jewelry, but the simple style made the sensation of having it on only a little noticeable, and the metal was already warm from being against Kay's skin. Looking at it and all the things it was meant to represent, emotion broiled in her. During the time she was technically Master, the idea of marriage as would have been expected of one in that position had turned her stomach the few times someone in the village had brought it up. That scenario was a dead end, another way she would have been trapped in a life already felt like drowning. But now, with freedom in sight, the realization that one day she might be able to marry some woman who cared about her hit Maya as she studied the metal band. She breathed in, steadying herself. "Yeah, feels good." Another breath, and she turned to her. "It's probably about time."

"Well then," Kay held out her arm. "Shall we?"

"Ooh, such a classy lady," Maya said as she slipped her arm into her grip, letting Kay begin to lead them off.

"Only the best for my darling."

This was nice. As they walked, Maya found it more and more difficult not to simply start beaming, she was a little dizzy from the effort. She _really_ liked the idea of being treated like this, with care, like she was special and treasured. Not to mention the physical comfort of being given an excuse to be this close to someone for an extended period of time. She was definitely keeping this in mind for whenever she actually got a girlfriend, she thought, being hit with another wave of overwhelming relief and joy at the reminder of the possibility.

There appeared to already be a small crowd of people milling around as they walked through the propped-open doors of the entrance. The place had a high ceiling, and most of the opposite wall was glass that looked out to a back patio liberally decorated with plants. Combined with the fact that the dining area had been cleared except for a number of high top tables scattered about and the display tables around the perimeter, it had the effect of making what was probably only a modest space seem practically cavernous. It also happened to be not so great at retaining heat, especially with the still slightly crisp outside air. Maya was suddenly very grateful that she had thought to wear a jacket over her dress.

But even that was forgotten as she spied the setup of the nearest table, the employee behind it setting up food samples. She squealed and dashed over without another second's hesitation.

Leaving Kay, who had loosened her grip when they entered the bakery, standing stunned and suddenly bereft of her companion. Turning in the direction she had seen her go out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Maya already in front of the table. Kay let out a fond sigh as her friend begin to talk, arms waving in every direction. Barely a minute in and she was already practically vibrating with excitement. It was adorable, seeing her like this; it was something that happened far too infrequently, in her opinion. She clasped her hands over her heart, to quiet the warm energy it exuded just the tiniest bit so it wouldn't overwhelm her. But oh, it was nice. Soft and content, even as she was pulled out of the reverie of observing by Maya turning and waving her over, Kay was more than ever resolved to make sure events like this happened again, even if she would probably end up skipping a fair few more classes. Maya was her friend, and she deserved the world.

"Look at this, babe." Maya tugged gently on her arm, gesturing at the array of cakes stacked in clear boxes behind the table. "They have so many flavors! I want to taste them _all_."

She shook her head. "I know you have a dessert stomach, but that is still a lot at once. Especially with…" There appeared to be about a half-dozen display tables altogether, and if they all had this much food… "How does this work?" she hissed.

She looked up from the paper list she had picked up and at the employee now talking with another couple. "oh, yeah. They've got the actual cake samples here in basically all the regular flavors they do." With the paper, she waved in the direction of the next few tables. "And they've got icing and fondant and fillings and stuff over these next couple. Also there's places for ordering and looking at all their portfolios and stuff." Leaning in closer to her, Maya dropped to a whisper. "But that's not as important for us though. This is the important part."

Kay watched Maya's eyes go wide with excitement. "You want to start here?"

"Yeah. We can eat while we look at other stuff." She placed the list back down on the table, turning to the employee who had come over to the two of them. "It's probably too much to ask for one of everything at once, right?" The look on her face suggested she hoped otherwise.

The woman laughed. "I wouldn't suggest it. You do want to be able to taste everything, not have the flavors blend together. Besides, I do have to warn you that the amount has been limited to a certain number per person, to ensure that we'll have enough for everyone. That being said," she removed the top paper plate from a stack, "I can start you off with a few of our most commonly requested flavors, if you don't know where to begin. Or if you have some in mind?"

Maya furrowed her brow, staring the display down. "What do you think, honey?"

"Strawberry, maybe?"

She watched solemnly as the platter was prepared, retrieving a small notebook and pen from her pocket as Kay took the plate. "I'll be getting back to you with detailed feedback on these, and then we can go from there with picking out the rest."

Once they were out of earshot, Kay elbowed her lightly with a giggle. "That was good. Makes it seem like we're really serious about it."

"Oh no." She clicked the pen a few times. "I _was_ completely serious about that part. I need to make sure I know what's good, for future reference."

She shrugged. Made as much sense as anything, she supposed. If she could make personal observations about security wherever they went (speaking of, she couldn't be completely sure from this distance, but she was pretty confident those doors to the patio did _not_ have any kind of substantial locks, yikes), Maya was more than fine critiquing food. Kay paused as they passed near the table covered in photographs of elegant wedding cakes, all with what appeared to be an expert eye to detail and color. "Huh. They're pretty good."

Maya, surprisingly, huffed. "I mean, they _look_ nice. I told you about that case with the restaurant, right? That stuff was gorgeous, and you couldn't have paid me to eat there after I'd tried the food."

That was pretty bad, considering who the comment was coming from. "Still. You could get some real fancy decorations on a cake here."

A pensive look on her face, she reached up to drape an arm over her shoulder for balance as she thought. "You think they'd do a Steel Samurai themed one?"

"I'd prefer the Jammin' Ninja."

Maya flipped Kay's hair out of place, scoffing. "Yeah, but the Steel Samurai is _way_ cooler. I love you, ginger spice, but not quite enough to give that up. And since it's supposed to be for both of us, it looks like we'll both have to go without."

"Why not both?" Kay raised an eyebrow at her, "It's supposed to be a representation of us together, so combine our interests on the cake. They could be doing some cool fighting poses!"

"Babe." Shaking her head, she took the plate from her and slid it onto a nearby table. Then, she turned and put a hand on each of Kay's shoulders. "We can't have our representations fighting each other. That's not healthy symbology for a relationship."

"Shit, that's a good point. We can have them kissing instead."

Mouth open in shock, Maya dropped her arms to her side. "No we can't! Can you imagine Mr. Edgeworth's reaction?"

Kay opened her mouth to speak, holding up a finger, then stopped, pressing her hand to her mouth. A spark appeared in her eyes, along with a massive grin. "Actually, I _hadn't_." She ruffled Maya's hair. "But thank you for reminding me; that's actually half the fun of the idea now, when you think about it. Besides," she crossed her arms over her chest, head tilted upward and eyes closed. "It's our wedding and we can do whatever we like; when he gets married Mr. Edgeworth can have the Steel Samurai kissing whoever he wants on _his_ cake."

Another couple, who had walked over to the portfolio table in the middle of the conversation, looked up and scooted off in a different direction.

They both erupted into halfheartedly covered giggles.

"Guess they're not Steel Samurai fans, huh?" Maya shrugged. "Their loss. Now let's actually eat this cake."

As they had just settled themselves around the table, a woman in an oversized sweater who appeared to be about fifteen years older than them walked past with a look reminiscent of someone in a school cafeteria with a lunch tray and no one to sit with in a nearly full room. After circling around for a bit, she stopped in front of them. "Hi. Sorry, it's getting a little crowded in here; would it be alright if we shared the table?"

"Orange blossom?" Maya looked over to her.

Kay, her mouth currently full of her first bit of cake, simply nodded.

The woman turned out to be checking the place out by herself while her boyfriend watched their toddler at home. "It's nice to see some young people here. Are you two from the area?"

No response from Maya, who was scribbling something down with a look of fierce concentration in her eyes. With a slight cough, Kay finished her food and leaned over to curl an arm around her waist. "She's very passionate about this kind of thing. Yes and no. Maya grew up a little way away from here, but planning on moving here soon. I… lived around here when I was a kid, but I had to move until I came back about three years ago." She went to take another of the samples, but Maya swatted her hand.

"Not that one! I have a system." Picking up one that had a slight blue tint to it, she held it up. "Here you go, sweet potato."

Kay sighed and pressed her face against the top of her head. "You're so cute." She didn't known exactly what she had been expecting when Maya had mentioned wanting to just do whatever with pet names, but it wasn't quite this barrage of completely different ones, even if it was kind of adorable.

A slight grunt, and she absently patted her cheek. "That's my line."

After that, Kay pointed a question to the woman, and several minutes passed while she regaled them with a few stories. Maya nodded along, but only really looked up when the plate in front of them was empty and several pages of the notebook covered in her handwriting. "Are you actually going to remember yours, or do you want to write them down?"

Kay gave her a blank look. "You…wanted to give my opinions too?"

Puffing her cheeks out, she waved the notebook at her. "Yes! I value and respect your opinion very much!" After a second, in a smaller voice, "It's your cake too."

Oh right. Wedding stuff. Accepting the notebook with reverence, she pressed it to her collar. "I will impart my wisdom as best I can, love."

Maya appeared to flush briefly, but quickly recovered. "Ok! I'll be back with the other samples. And some frosting. Sound good, blue raspberry?"

Kay narrowed her eyes at her. "You know, I can't tell if you're using pet names or trying to subconsciously suggest flavors to me."

One hand gripped the table, the other at Kay's lapel. "They had sweet potato cake?!"

She laughed. "I don't know; you're the one who had the list." A hand tucked a strand of hair behind Maya's ear, resting on her cheek afterwards. "We can try it if they do. Ooh, see if they have brown sugar frosting too then."

Maya practically melted into her. "Oh god yes, marry me _now_."

"Don't tempt me like that," she said, before helping her back to her feet and pointing her in the direction of the food. As Maya walked off, Kay leaned an elbow against the table, using that hand to prop up her head as she watched Maya's path through the crowd.

"You two are really sweet."

Kay sighed happily, a lazy smile and eyes half-closed, not really paying attention to what had been said.

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As she made her way back, Maya found herself clutching her jacket closed with her free hand. Not that it was particularly cold, not with the number of people who were now blocking the air from outside. But she hadn't noticed how much she had been in contact with Kay until she had walked off and started feeling the ghost of her warmth in a half a dozen places. It was a little weird, actually. Kay was naturally very physically affectionate, and yet Maya'd never had quite this reaction before, felt this strong a need to regain that sensation. Almost a craving.

Her pace picked up when Kay came into her line of sight, weaving through the last few bunches of people to slide back next to her. It wasn't until she'd placed the plate on the table (much to her consternation, they had _not_ had any sweet potato prepared, although they had reassured her they could make it custom) and pressed herself firmly against Kay's side that she noticed the table had acquired a fair number of other occupants in her absence.

"…except the _real_ judge would _never_ have understood that kind of metaphor. It was like this guy was trying to get caught!"

Maya paid just enough attention to the conversation to tell that Kay was in the middle of one of their made-up stories, before getting completely distracted by Kay reaching around and curling an arm around her waist, pulling them even closer. Letting out a soft hum, Maya rested her head against her, for the moment content to close her eyes and listen to the sound of Kay's voice.

She didn't know how long that went on for, just that the next thing she was consciously aware of was Kay lightly shaking her. "Mm?"

"Hey," her voice was soft "mind if I borrow your hand for a second?"

"You don't need to ask to hold my hand," she mumbled.

There was some general laughter, and Kay smiled as she wrapped her hand around Maya's left wrist. "I like to ask anyway. But this time, I wanted to show off your ring." Gently, she lifted Maya's hand out so that it was easily visible around the table.

After some appreciative murmurs, the conversation shifted focus to another couple, and Kay took the opportunity to fully turn her gaze on Maya. "You doing alright? You haven't touched any food in a while."

Somehow, she had actually temporarily forgotten about that. "Yeah. Just needed a second."

"You have to try this one. It's cinnamon apple, and when you put it with…well I _think_ this is cream cheese, and a bit of the caramel…"

As Kay spoke, Maya shifted to her tiptoes, placing a hand on the back of Kay's neck so they were at eye level with one another. "Hold on, you've got frosting on your face." With her free hand, she used the side of her thumb to wipe the food from the corner of her mouth, pressing a kiss to the spot before settling her feet down flat and turning back to the table.

She had gone through a couple of the samples before she noticed Kay out of the corner of her vision. There wasn't anything obviously off about her; she had her elbows propped on the edge of the table, nodding along with the flow of conversation, but there was something about the way the light caught her eyes, or the set of her shoulders that felt…off.

Frowning, Maya put down her pen and poked Kay in the side.

She jumped, head swinging in her direction.

"What's bothering you?"

Kay shook her head. "Nothing. I'm fine." She rubbed the back of her neck, avoiding eye contact with her. After a minute, she whispered, "I think I need some air. Be back in a few?"

Not really knowing how to respond, she nodded, a twist of anxiety going through her as she watched her leave. Kay wasn't usually one to get overwhelmed by crowds, and nothing had really happened in the past while that should have set her off. Was it something she'd said? Maya cursed under her breath; she had let herself get distracted and pretty much blocked out what was happening around them. If she could have paid attention to something other than herself, maybe she would have noticed what had happened and been able to prevent…this. She knew Kay was mostly doing this for her sake, and she didn't want to have repaid the favor by upsetting her dear friend.

"Now that's a familiar look."

Maya jumped when an older woman appeared at her elbow, leaning over to speak with her in a hushed tone. "Oh?"

The woman smiled. "You two remind me of my wife and me before we started dating. Pretty sure I had the same kind of expression as you do."

What was she talking about? She raised her eyebrows at her. "I have no idea what you mean." After a second, she remembered, and added, "I mean, we're _engaged_."

With a flat expression, the woman gestured for her to follow, leading Maya away from the main crowd to a clearer spot by a wall. "Now, don't get me wrong, you've both been very convincing, but her reaction after you kissed her? I know pining when I see it."

"I _what_?"

Her first instinct was to argue that she was wrong, but then Maya played back the series of events and she recalled the faintest awareness of her mouth on the side of Kay's face and _oh_.

It was like some internal door or barrier had burst open, and suddenly _all_ the events of the afternoon were laid out anew, as if she had only seen them in grayscale before and had just now discovered the existence of color and _everything made so much more sense how had she not realized what she had been feeling this whole time._

"Oh…" And then something else that had been said clicked into place. "Wait, she _likes_ _me_?"

A sigh, but the soft expression on the woman's face was sympathetic. "That's certainly what it seems like. But if I've learned anything, I wouldn't be here planning our son's wedding if we didn't have plenty of communication." When Maya looked at her, confused, she waved her arms, shooing her off. "Talk to her! Ask! Tell her how you feel!"

Maya wasted no more time in running for the door.

xxxxxxxx

Hands gripping the side of her head, Kay paced a length of the sidewalk outside the bakery. It had all happened so fast: one second she'd been talking with Maya like normal and the next Maya was leaning in and there'd been the slightest puff of her breath against her face and it had clicked into place. The same feeling as she'd gotten before they'd gone inside, that excited-anxiety you got when doing something dangerous but fun; and then Maya had kissed her, more on the side of the face than actually getting her mouth but _still_, her heart had stopped and sped up and then the moment was over and all she could think of now was how much she wanted that again.

She barely resisted the urge to scream when she thought that. Maya was her _friend_, and yeah she'd always thought she was cute, but in the general appreciation for how inherently pretty girls always were that just came with being a lesbian. Not like this, feelings still in a confused jumble but definitely for certain not in the range of platonic, and there'd be nothing wrong with that if it weren't for the fact that she was _terrified_ for what this could mean. Maya was one of her best friends, and if she wasn't interested in her like that, Kay wasn't sure how well their friendship would be able to go from there, and she couldn't put that kind of pressure on Maya. Because despite the sting of longing that was beginning to make itself known, it paled in comparison to the anguish of the thought that she might hurt Maya, make her feel upset or guilty or in any way unhappy with herself if Maya blamed herself for not reciprocating. She could never let that happen, no matter the consequences to her own feelings.

"Kay?"

With a start, she turned in time to see Maya's face fade from a wide smile into a look of concern. "Hey," she managed, probably a tad too bright and definitely a little too loud. Why had she followed her out here? Hope flashed in her mind before she quickly stuffed it down. She'd just gotten done telling herself that she couldn't afford to think like that.

Maya took a deep breath and held out her hand, leading them to a nearby bench once she had taken it. Still holding on, Maya squeezed her hand as she began. "Before we talk about anything else, I wanted to say: I'm sorry for kissing you without asking or anything beforehand. I even didn't realize I had done it until a while after, but that doesn't excuse me, especially since we'd never discussed that as a possibility."

"It-it's fine." Her stomach dropped even as she said it. Of course it was this; Maya was so considerate and kind to her, worrying over her feelings and apologizing even though she was the one who was messing things up for Maya. The disappointment stung all the more when she began chastising herself for the selfishness behind the reaction. "Really. I just wasn't expecting it to happen and I guess I needed some time to process it." She shrunk away from her. "I'm the one who should be apologizing. This was meant to be a nice time for you, and you're out here instead because I overreacted."

Overreacted. Ohhhh no. No. Of course. The elation that had left Maya feeling as though she were barely touching the ground as she made her way out here felt like the ghost of a dream now, leaving a blankness with just enough wisps of it remaining to make her heart yearn to have it back. She'd been wrong; Kay hadn't felt the same way about it, was probably upset or disgusted or maybe even angry and what was she going to do now, when she'd just realized her own feelings that she knew she'd never be able to get rid of completely.

Kay let out a ragged breath, sliding her hand out of Maya's grip to press it against the side of her face, turning away ever so slightly. "I just…don't want to mess things up," she said, almost under her breath.

A flare of concern, and then what might have been the tiniest wave of relief not quite extinguishing but certainly alleviating it. If Kay was really unhappy with her and her actions, then the distress she was displaying right now wouldn't make sense, would it? Maya desperately wished she had a magatama, or Trucy's lie detecting powers, or _something_ that would make this easier, give her just the slightest certainty that she wouldn't mess everything up if she told her. But she didn't, and besides, wouldn't that be insincere, at the least an invasion of privacy and a lack of trust in her, to feel the need to have to read Kay's mind instead of believing that Kay really truly was her friend, that she would understand or at least care enough about her to let her down gently, break things off without tearing her apart? She knew she'd do it for her, if things were different.

_Communication_. That's what the woman had told her, was even what they'd mentioned the other day, the most important thing in a relationship. Because you couldn't read people's minds and she didn't know what it was Kay was thinking and feeling right now, and Kay didn't know about her, and even if this was unrequited wasn't it only fair that she knew what Maya thought, that she was honest with her? Maya certainly hoped so.

She took a deep breath. "I know what you mean." And she did, because there still was that small possibility of everything blowing up, but she had to try. "There's something I want to tell you, though, and before that I want you to know that I don't want you to feel pressured to react in any way because that's not what I'm after. I just want to tell you the truth, and whatever happens about it after is your decision. Okay?"

The look on her face was most closely related to concealed terror, but she nodded firmly. "Okay."

"Remember what I said about not thinking when I did…" she dropped her head, staring down at her hands. "When I kissed you? I wasn't, really, but I realized after. When you left." Biting on her lip, she twisted the fabric of her dress in her hands. A deep breath. "I'd been kind of distracted the whole time, and I was enjoying myself but there was something weird about it, and I've realized…I spent the whole time wanting it to be real, without even noticing." Maya tightened her grip, bracing herself. "The us dating part, I mean." It came out in practically a whisper, but it was there.

"You really mean that?"

The question came with practically no tone, no real inflection or emotion, and Maya couldn't bring herself to look so she had no idea what kind of response to expect, but she nodded vigorously. "Yes," she said, much more firmly than anything she'd said before, because it was already out there, no turning back.

Kay was frozen, but the energy inside of her at that word had rapidly built to the kind where she would feel she had to move or she would burst. _She meant it she meant it she meant it! _Maya liked her, had realized feelings the same as hers and it was all she could do not to tackle her to the ground that very instant.

Trembling, Kay picked up Maya's hands in her own and pulled her over to face her. And she looked at her, worried but so certain, and it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. "I do too." She was pretty sure she was crying by now but she didn't care _Maya liked her_. "I left after you kissed me because I wanted to do it again but I was worried I would ruin things. We get along so well as friends and I didn't want to lose that or hurt you. But…I want this too. Us. Together." She laughed, a bit strained through the tears. "You know."

Maya responded by pulling loose from her grasp to surge forward and wrap her arms around her, pulling the two of them into a tight hug. She buried her face in Kay's shoulder, a wordless exclamation of happiness muffled by the contact.

"Maya," Kay whispered, a sound of joy and relief, and she hugged Maya as close to her as she could.

They stayed like that for a while, letting their heartbeats slow until their breaths matched in an easy rhythm, making no movements except to shift to make their positions a little more comfortable. And at that moment, neither of them had any need for anything but the presence of the other taking up the entirety of their awareness, the two of them the entire world, as far as they could tell.

Then Maya relaxed her hold, tilting Kay's head down so they were facing one another. "Hey," she murmured, giggling slightly. "So, dating? Us?"

Kay nodded so vigorously she shook the both of them. "Yes!" Flinching a bit herself at how loud she had been, she gave an apologetic smile. "Yes. Please."

"Good." Maya took her head in both hands. "Now technically, you could say we've already done a first kiss. But it was also not great and barely even in a spot where you could call it a real one. So what I'm saying is," bringing them so that their faces were barely an inch apart, she whispered, "I was thinking we could fix that and do it properly this time?"

"Best idea we've had all day," Kay responded, and kissed her.


End file.
